Long before the end of the year, Chinese final-year college students rush to various career fairs in the hope of securing a job before they graduate.

In contrast, some university students, who are to graduate in ayear or half a year, frequently visit dating agencies, expecting to find his or her true love before they leave school.

This phenomenon, which has emerged in recent years, has arousedwidespread concern in China. Some people regard it as normal behaviors, others as utilitarian.

CHOOSING A GOOD JOB OR A HAPPY LIFE?

Zhu Xiaohua, a final-year student of a university based in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, has dated six candidate boyfriends.

She said that she failed to find a job in Hefei after visiting various employment fairs and contacting many potential employers. "Perhaps finding a boyfriend and getting married is the best way to work and live in Hefei."

Zhu is not an exception among final-year students in Chinese universities and colleges.

"Currently, it is very difficult to find an ideal job. It wouldbe better to find a boyfriend who has a good job and money, which will enable me to live a comfortable life ten years earlier," saidMiss Sun, a student at a university based in Jinan City, capital of East China's Shandong Province.

"After settling down, it will also be easier for me to find a job," she said.

An employee at the "Bridge of Love" dating agency in Hefei, where Zhu has registered to find love, said that the number of college students only accounted for about five percent of the total number of people registered at the agency. However, he said,the number of such students has kept rising rapidly in recent years, and 90 percent are female students and 70 percent are non-Hefei natives.

Most of the female students want to find a boyfriend who is at least a university graduate, earns more than 5,000 yuan a month, owns an apartment and preferably a car, they said.

This reflects the extreme impatience of university students whoare seeking employment, said Wang Kaiyu, an expert with the Anhui Provincial Academy of Social Sciences.

Although well-educated, females might lose their independent personality if they just pin hopes on marriage, Wang said.

Considering the current social situation, this also reflects the fact that female students face grave competition in seeking jobs, Wang said, who suggested that the government should be more concerned about females when drafting employment policies.

Statistics show that the number of university graduates has kept increasing in China in recent years, with the number soaring to 3.38 million last year from 1.04 million in 2001. The number isexpected to reach 4 million this year. Graduates are facing greater pressure to find jobs when China's unemployment rate is taken into consideration.

"It is not a surprise to see so many female students who want to find their love through dating agencies. I wouldn't do it, but I understand those who did," said Liu Xiao, a post-graduate with the Shanghai International Studies University.

PARENTS ANXIOUS FOR CHILD TO HAVE HAPPY LIFE

Accompanied by her mother, Liang Yu, 24, a final-year student of Hefei Industrial University, attended a party to look for love recently.

Liang was a little bit shy to attend such a party, but her mother, who took it for granted, said, "It is now very difficult to find an ideal job and it is especially difficult for a young lady. So I want my only daughter to find a boyfriend as early as possible to take care of her."

Liang' mother has high expectations for her would-be son-in-law. "He should be wealthy and be able to guarantee my daughter a comfortable life. My husband and I would then feel at ease," she said.

Yin Qin, who has run a dating agency for 20 years, said parentswho cherish their only daughter are more eager to find a good son-in-law in recent years than before.

Only children have been dubbed "little emperors and empresses" as they are extremely doted on by not only their parents and grandparents, but also by their relatives just because they are the "only child" of the family.

The ability of these spoiled "only children" to take care of themselves and to mix with other people have been doubted and haveoften been the focus of discussions over the years.

Education experts are worried that these "only children" could be further spoiled if they rely on their parents to pursue a happymarriage instead of seeking a true love on their own.

MARRIAGE: A FOOT IN THE DOOR OF EMPLOYMENT?

"I got married and my husband and I decided not to have a baby for ten years. Compared with my peers, my advantages are that I'm married and I can focus more attention on my job," said Miss Zhao,a graduate of a Nanjing-based university, East China's Jiangsu Province, at an interview for a media company. She was taken on bythe media group.

In fact, questions like "Do you have a boyfriend and where doeshe work?" have been frequently asked by employers when recruiting female employees in recent years.

An official with a media company said that they have no choice but to ask such questions.

Many female employees have quit their jobs to be reunited with their boyfriends working elsewhere in China after having worked atthe media group for two or three years, said the official.

"I would like to employ females who have been married if I haveto make a choice," said the official who refused to give his name.

There is no reason to criticize those college students who wantto have their marriage arranged at an earlier date, said Wang, theexpert with the Anhui Provincial Academy of Social Sciences.

But one thing that should be pointed out is that marriage should be based on love. If not, the result would be the opposite to one hoped for, Wang said.

(Xinhua News Agency February 24, 2006)